Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Instructor: Xevelonakis, E.
Name ID Email
Gkirtzou Aikaterini 1478 gkirtzou@csd.uoc.gr
Zachopoulos Antonis 1470 zachop@csd.uoc.gr
Kapravelos Alexandros 1535 kapravel@csd.uoc.gr
Livadas Georgios 1469 livadas@csd.uoc.gr
Michou Maria 1269 michou@csd.uoc.gr
Papavasileiou Vasilikh 1574 papavas@csd.uoc.gr
Papadakos Panagiotis MET papadako@csd.uoc.gr
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Figure Pages
Total nights of accommodation nights in Create haven’t chanced between 2000 and
2002 at a level of 12 million according to the data shown on Table 2. However there
was a reduction in comparison to 1999 when the accommodation nights were 1.31
million. Tourists manly go to Herakleion, then to Rethimno and Chania and finally to
Lasithi according to Table 3.
Table 2: Accommodation Nights
Profitability
Tourist Industry is a major part of the Cretan Economy. By being almost the 50% of
the total business in Crete, Tourist Industry is traditionally one of the biggest infant
that offers economic growth opportunities. So the analysis of the Cretan Tourist
Industry and its profitability is extremely vital and interesting. The methodology of
this analysis is based on a cross reference and a statistical analysis of the financial
pointers of every company.
This analysis will judge the main tourist companies on sever criteria which are
listed below.
• Sales / Assets
• Gross Profit / Sales
• Sales Cost / Average Level of Fund
• Quick Assets / Near Future Obligation
• Basic Period of Vitality
• Self Funds / Self Funds + Obligations
• Total Obligations / Period of Self-Liquidation
The outcome of this analysis is presented on the Table 4 by checking 500 different
scenarios by taking into consideration the 7 criteria and their importance.
There is also observed the main hotels have increased their assets by 27.5%. This
increase was funded 50% from self-funds and 50% from foreign funds. The totals
sales have reduced by 8.5% during the 2000 – 2002 (from 4.474.236 euros during
2000 to 4.112.443 euros during 2002) for the general tourist companies. On the over
hand hotels have increased their infants by 11.4% during the period 2000-2002.
Customer Orientation
During the last five years the tourism market in Crete has been quite stable,
counting about 12.000.000 accommodation nights per year. It is remarkable that the
vast majority of accommodation nights regard foreigners, whose participation on the
total number of nights varied about 93% during those years.
Table 5: Tourism orientation in Crete
Tourism orientation in Crete
14.000.000
12.000.000
Number of accomodation nights
10.000.000
8.000.000
International Tourism
Domestic Tourism
6.000.000
4.000.000
2.000.000
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Germany
G. Britain
Scandinavia
Netherlands
France
Austria
Belgium
Switzerland
Italy
Other countries
Eastern Europe
Customer data collection does not just have to be information that has been
collected internally. Finding relevant, external customer data can provide additional
profitable insight and help the company market to similar customers. For instance,
demographic data and statistics can be acquired from relevant government research.
After the data has been collected, it should be sorted and analyzed, so that certain
assumptions can be made. A part or all of the customers should be cross-referenced
with demographic data to determine what they have in common (orientation, type of
business they belong in etc.). Purchase patterns should be sorted to determine who is
buying the most. Maybe a certain customer group spends twice as much as the typical
customer. Finally, marketing channels should be identified. The bulk of a tourism
company’s customers could come from its website, or other referral sources.
However the company should be very alert on privacy laws and issues in
concerning customer data. Business solutions such as customer data mining should
not be abused.
There are various commercial tools available for companies to aid them analyse
the data they have collected, including:
Customers leave clues about themselves at every touch point. And each morsel of data
the company collects, helps build a picture of its customers’ behaviours, motivations
and intentions. The company should be warehousing:
• Legacy data: Transactional information, demographics, credit scores, etc.
• Call center data: How often do they call? And for what reason? What is the
result?
• Promotion Who responded? How quickly? Via what channel?
response:
• Third-party data: Psychographics, lifestyle ...
• Qualitative data: Surveys, focus groups, etc.
• Online data: Profiles, polls, transactions ...
Now’s the time to start mining the data for transactional, attitudinal and behavioural
patterns that get you closer to the right message/right customer/right time ideal. In a
tourism industry, it matters whether the customers want to spend their vacations on an
island or an isolated place. If it is a married couple with children, they would probably
want to go to a place where their children would spend their time playing, while their
parents enjoy the peacefulness of such a place. Nevertheless, a newlywed couple
would want to enjoy their “new” life in a more cosmopolitan place.
Rarely does one-way communication garner the insight the company needs to become
more profitable. Consider all possible touch points: email, Web, POS, call centres and
even quick surveys nested into promotional materials. Then invite feedback via the
most appropriate channels for specific customer segments. You’ll underscore your
company’s view that each customer’s opinion matters — an important way to nurture
and deepen relationships.
The more you speak to customers in a way that reflects their unique needs, the more
you’ll create relevance for them and give them reasons to be “bonded” to the
company. The customers aren’t just a way to make money, not anymore; the company
has to develop new ways of communicating with them.
7. Test personalization
Personalization has been shown to generate a 300 percent ROI in a single year, notes
Jupiter Communications. So it’s worthy of testing on our customers. The company
should give targeted offers based on history and demographics.
This obvious yet often-overlooked gesture is cheap and effective. And it can take
many forms — from a simple card to a special service such as private shopping hours.
For example a card that will be sent on a special occasion, like Christmas or on the
customer’s birthday.
Keep it up
By the time the company has reached the Customer Loyalty stage, it is customer-
centric from the inside out. But CRM is a continuous process. Revisit, refresh and
refine each step to uncover new opportunities and reframe objectives.
When choosing market segments it is needed to ensure that the segments are:
• easily identifiable and distinct from the mass market
• large enough to make targeting them worthwhile
• easy to reach - either because they are geographically close to you or there are
obvious and established channels of distributions and media through which
you can target them;
In tourism market it is important not to rely only on the demographic information of
the customers but also on the behavioural. Having this in mind the segments can be
identified through these techniques:
When prioritising market segments, there are three main questions to ask:
• How attractive is the segment?
This usually means that the segment is of variable size, prepared to pay the market
price for the product on offer, and fairly aware of the product.
• How easy is the segment to reach?
Segments which are easy to reach are usually clearly defined, can be persuaded to not
choose competing products, and can be reached through established and affordable
media and distribution channels.
• How much will it cost to reach the segment?
The deciding factor will often be the marketing budget. It isn’t possible to address
every segment so it is essential to determine which ones will cost most money to
reach and how accessible they really are. A sensible approach is to identify short and
long term markets.
Using these segmentation techniques and having the three above questions in mind
there are seven customer bands that can be identified and that are especially important
for Crete:
6. Empty Nesters
This group are mainly aged between late forties and sixties. Their children have left
home and they have time and money to spend on rediscovering old interests and
finding new ones. They do not feel old and are not ready to give up on adventure.
They are likely to take holidays outside the main summer holiday period and (like the
DINKS and SINKS) are likely to book last minute holidays. Many of this band will be
seeking to reinvent or find themselves through the holiday experience. This includes
the ‘Children of the Sixties’ Baby Boomers generation and there is a significant
interest (amongst women especially) in a holistic approach to health and well being –
as well as in health and beauty maintenance. They like to amble, are eager to explore
and they enjoy trying new things and soft adventure. They have a growing interest in
maintaining health and fitness and are looking for a revitalising, refreshing holiday
experience. Many will still be working in high pressure jobs and will be
fatigued and ready to escape the rat race for a while. They are likely to be tracked by
the comfort zone of Crete (easily accessible and safe). They have an interest in quality
products, comforts and luxuries.
7. Third Agers (Usually 70+)
This group are mainly aged 70+ and many will be in reasonably good health. As
people get ’old’ later, it is important not to stereotype this sector as doddery and frail!
( The 70s are the new 60s, the 40s are the new 30s etc.) Many will be still looking for
new experiences on holiday, although clearly this is likely to involve more gentle
activities. There will be a certain degree of personal nostalgia and interest in visiting
places they used to visit when they were younger, as well as interest in visiting iconic
attractions so they have ‘done it’. However, their tastes are increasingly sophisticated
and the new generation of ‘Golden Oldies’ is likely to be well travelled and
discerning. Personal comfort is a primary travel concern. A recent marketing survey
by Datamonitor coins the term WOOFS (Well Off Older Folk) and advocates
exploitation of the ‘grey pound.
Customers want to feel special. They are no longer comfortable with being
just a name or a number and they are looking for personalization in all of their
business interactions. The success of new marketing campaigns, sales promotions,
and customer support initiatives that focus on the customer rather than the product
therefore hinge on a business knowing its customer.
Understanding the customer needs is crucial. Treating different customers
differently could achieve a competitive advantage in the market. Customers have
specific characteristics, customs and preferences, and we should provide them the
appropriate proposals. In order to create effective models for the tourism industry we
have to take into consideration historical data for every single customer we are
targeting, and based on them we should make our proposals through the appropriate
channels.
First of all we have to know the nationality of our customers. Greek people
have different needs than people from other foreign countries. They won’t have any
language problems since they will speak their native language and they are
accustomed to the Greek temperament and customs. On the other hand people from
other countries, especially those who don’t speak English may need to have a
translator with them in order to communicate and satisfy their needs. Also it will be
beneficial to us, if we try to make a good impression on them by contacting them in
their native language.
Secondly it is important to try and estimate the financial position of our
customers in order to make affordable and appropriate proposals. We can make an
estimation based on their occupation, their marital status and any other information
we may have available about their previous vacations, or their property. Especially it
is important if we are targeting wealthy people, to provide a suggestion which will be
appropriate for their social standing. Maybe we could also learn some information
about their preferred payment way and make sure that it is provided by us.
Moreover we should take into account that some people prefer to be on
vacations a specific season, such as during the winter or summer, and try to contact
them in the appropriate time and with the appropriate arguments. Also it is important
to always have in mind that people from the north hemisphere have the opposite
season from those that live in the south hemisphere. So for example we could propose
to Australian people “white Christmas”, since in Australia it is summer during the
Christmas period.
Also some people prefer to spend their vacations in a mountain and others by
the sea. Crete has the advantage of combining both of them, fulfilling the needs of
every customer. In addition many would like an organized beach/mountain, with
facilities for sea ski, scuba diving, windsurfing, beach volley, ski, snowboard,
mountain climbing or rafting, things that we should also take cognizance of.
It is also important to try and provide all the facilities and services people
might need. For example some might want to keep in touch with their country, so
there should be available newspapers from their country. Others might be interested in
sports like golf and tennis, so the appropriate facilities should be available. Finally
some others might be friends of the technology and would like to have access to the
Internet, so we should provide them the appropriate equipment should be available.
For them also a good channel to communicate would be through the Internet, with an
e-mail for example.
Furthermore, it would be really helpful to try and find out if they prefer an
organized vacation, where people travel in groups and everything is set up by the
travel bureau or they like to travel on their own, with their friends, family or their
mate and feel free to go and do whatever they want. In such a case we could also
make it easy for them to rent a car.
Also some of them might be interested in history, and would like to visit
historical monuments and museums. It is up to them to decide if they prefer a guided
tour or prefer to visit places that interest them on their own. Others might be
interested in the everyday life of people who still live in a traditional way, in villages
and are not influenced by the anxious rhythms of the life in a town. Most of these
people would also like to taste traditional food but some others would prefer tastes
they are used to or junk food.
It is also important to learn how the persons we are targeting like to spend
their time after the sun goes down. So it would be helpful if we knew what kind of
music they are listening to, if they enjoy clubbing, live entertainment and shows or
bands playing local music or if on the other hand they prefer a more placable course
of life, like romantic dinner, or a night cruise.
Another important aspect is the timing of our proposal. It would be positive
for us if we made our suggestion during a period where an event which might interest
our customer was taking place, for example a conference. Or we could make our
proposal as a honeymoon if we knew that our customer gets married or suggest a trip
as a surprise to their mate for their anniversary.
Finally it would really be appreciated, if we took into consideration people
with disabilities. They are not different than any other normal person, but require
accessible facilities. Likewise we should provide appropriate medical care to people
that have problems with their health in case they need it.
Benefits
Today's tourism market is very demanding and customers are becoming more
individual, but also price-sensitive. Due to these facts the company should be able to
understand theirs customers needs more precisely and give professional advice to
potential customers. In other words the company ought to be flexible to meet
customers’ wishes and needs. But how can the company meet the customers’ wishes
and needs?
After creating the CRM and categorized the customers depending on their
needs, the company should deliver this knowledge and the developed models to the
customer advisors. Moreover the tourist market demands continuous communication
to the target customers group, giving the chance to the customers for customized
travel packages and spontaneous travel arrangements. The company should optimize
the target group potentials with customized packages of products and services. Also
they should target new customers directly and use their consulting expertise to
convince them. It is a rule these days, that people spend time searching on their own
for their desired travel destination. So advertising different activities is particularly
promising in some places, where potential customers can learn about or even choose
this destination. It is increasingly important in the tourism industry to offer individual
solutions to customers changed needs and travel wishes. Based on the customer
profile analysis their direct marketing measures arrive where it is best for them to
optimally gain business.
Furthermore, when the customers arrive to the company, their customer
advisor should have prepared some questions to ask them, in order for him to be in
position to understand their needs and wishes better. Moreover, the same procedure
could be done when customers leaves the company, in order to improve their
facilities. The after sales dialog helps the company to reinforce the customer
relationship through individual contact and appropriate offerings - especially after the
first booking. This has been shown to increase the rate of repeat bookings. Whether
the company want to further develop their existing customers or impress new
customers with your travel offer, maintaining and enriching data is important for
reaching attractive target groups.
Tourist Campaign
Table 10
APPENDIX B
References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
2. http://www.world-tourism.org/
3. http://www.euromonitor.com
4. www.channelviewpublications.org
5. http://sbinformation.about.com/
6. http://www.crm2day.com/library/EpAVkVpFyZoxUYKRLg.php
7. http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:2NT9BP6OghgJ:www.bized.ac.uk/edu
cators/16-19/tourism/marketing/presentation/marketing1.ppt
8. http://www.bized.ac.uk/educators/16-19/tourism/industry/activity/factors1.htm